Johnny Longden

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For other people named John Longden, see John Longden (disambiguation).
Johnny Longden
United States Triple Crown (1943)
Kentucky Derby (1943)
Preakness Stakes (1943)
Belmont Stakes (1943)
As a trainer:
Kentucky Derby (1969)
Preakness Stakes
(1969)
Other
(1965)
Racing awards
Your Host, Whirlaway, Noor, Rushaway, Swaps,
T.V. Lark, Four-and-Twenty, George Royal, Majestic Prince

John Eric "Johnny" Longden (February 14, 1907 – February 14, 2003) was an American Hall of Fame and National Champion jockey and a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. His father emigrated to Canada in 1909, settling in Taber, Alberta.[1][2]

Career

Willie Shoemaker
(left to right) in 1957

By 1912, Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son to join him in Canada. However, the Longdens' train was late getting to the port of

Titanic.[3]

As a young man, Longden Jr. worked in the mining industry. His love of horses and

United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes aboard Count Fleet. A sculptured bust of Longden, along with busts of fellow jockeys William Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay, has been placed in the paddock area at Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California.[4]

A founding member of the Jockeys' Guild in 1940, Longden was the United States' leading jockey in races won in 1938, 1947, and 1948.[5] He was also the leading jockey in purses won in 1943 and 1945. He was voted the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1952.[6]

In 1958, Longden was inducted into the

San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita Park, which he won aboard George Royal in a stretch duel. The clubhouse at Santa Anita Park contains an oil painting
of the finish of this race. The image was used for the cover of the Santa Anita official program during the 1967 racing season.

Horse ownership and training career

Longden operated a racing stable under the name

Alberta Ranches Ltd. in partnership with Frank McMahon, Wilder H. Ripley and Max Bell, longtime friends from Alberta. On January 28, 1971, Longden's wife Hazel became the first woman to train a stakes winner at Santa Anita Park when her horse Diplomatic Agent won the San Vicente Stakes. Longden's sons Eric and Vance Longden
both became horse trainers.

Following his retirement from riding, Longden turned to training and became the only person to ever win the Kentucky Derby as both a jockey and trainer when he captured the 1969 Derby with Frank McMahon's colt Majestic Prince. Longden was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame on its formation in 1976. He went on to become the second ever recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award in 1985, given annually to jockeys who have made significant contributions to the sport. In 1994, he was recognized further by the North American racing industry with a Special Eclipse Award.[7]

Harness racing

The June 12, 1954 issue of the Daily Racing Form reported that Johnny Longden was also an owner of a Standardbred racehorse which he personally drove to victory in a race at Sportsman's Park in Phoenix, Arizona.[8][9]

Television appearance

In 1957, Johnny Longden and his wife Hazel Longden, both appeared briefly as themselves on the legendary sitcom, I Love Lucy. In the episode, "Lucy and the Loving Cup" (Season 6 Episode 12), Longden was set to receive a trophy for being the winningest jockey in history at an awards dinner at the Babalú nightclub run by Ricky Ricardo. Early in the episode, Ricky makes fun of Lucy's new hat, so she puts the trophy over her head as a joke, but it ends up stuck on her head; after many failed attempts to remove it, she is forced to comically make her way through the New York City subway system to get the trophy to the club in time for the ceremony. After a run-in with an elderly lady, a homeless man and a cop, Lucy finally makes it to the nightclub and the trophy (with Lucy's head still stuck inside) is presented to a very confused Johnny Longden. Longden thanks Ricky for the trophy but asks what he should do about Ricky's wife. Ricky replies that Lucy has been his problem for 15 years, so now Johnny can deal with her.

Last years/legacy

As of 2006, Longden still holds five track records at Santa Anita Park. Longden was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[10] Longden died on his 96th birthday on St. Valentine's Day at his home in Banning, California.

References

  1. ^ "John Eric Longden". National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  2. ^ "Johnny Longden". Historica Canada. 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  3. ^ Many racing historians have questioned the Titanic fact as it has never been proved. Longden may have just been told this and believed it to be true. [1] Archived March 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Johnny Longden". Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  5. ^ "History". Jockeys' Guild. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  6. ^ "Horse Racing - Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Longden dead". Mi-harness.net. 2003-02-15. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  7. ^ "Legendary Longden Led A Charmed Life". Churchill Downs Incorporated. 2003-02-15. Archived from the original on 2006-03-20. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  8. ^ "Longden Adapt in Sulky". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. 1954-06-12. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
  9. ^ "Sportsman's Park, Phoenix, Arizona". Mi-harness.net. 2019-10-12. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  10. ^ Famous Mormon in Rodeo and Horseracing Archived 2008-04-14 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

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